Underrun protection devices are designed to prevent a smaller vehicle from wedging under a larger vehicle in a collision. For example, in the event of a front collision between a car and a heavy truck that does not have underrun protection, the front part of the car (e.g., the hood and engine compartment), and possibly even the windshield and steering column, are forced under the truck due to the height difference (from the ground to the bumper) of the truck. Thus, front underrun protection devices were developed in an effort to inhibit shorter vehicles from traveling under taller vehicles in a head-on collision.
Regulations govern the impact performance for front underrun protection devices. For example, ECE-R93 requires that front underrun devices meet certain performance criteria. In particular, ECE-R93 involves an analysis of a quasi-static load applied longitudinally of 60,000 Newtons (N) (50% of vehicle weight/maximum of 80 kiloNewtons (kN) for vehicles greater than 16 ton) a corner (P1) and center (P3) areas and 120,000 N (100% of vehicle weight/maximum of 160 kN for vehicles greater than 16 ton) at the support area (P2) (see FIG. 1). The maximum allowable deformation is 400 millimeters (mm).
Typically, front underrun protection devices are made from steel and fitted onto the front of a tall vehicle (e.g., a vehicle where the distance from the bottom of the bumper to the ground is greater than 400 mm). However, this device is heavy and labor intensive. For example, a steel device typically requires complex manufacturing including multiple weldings. In addition, steel devices are typically comprised of multiple components requiring complicated assembly.
Therefore, there is a need to provide a light-weight, easily assembled, and easily manufactured front underrun protection device that will meet the established safety regulations.